Airtel, SBI Life receive tax demand notice from GST appellate authority

The Goods and Service Tax Appellate Authority has ordered Bharti Airtel to pay Rs 194 crore GST on licence fees and spectrum usage charges demanded by the Department of Telecom, a regulatory filing said on Thursday.

The matter pertains to the demand for Goods and Service Tax (GST) of Rs 604.66 crore by the GST Department under the reverse charge mechanism on license fee (LF) and spectrum usage charges (SUC) basis the demand note issued by the Department of Telecommunications.

The company had filed an appeal against the order.

"On an appeal filed by the Company to Commissioner (Appeals), Central Goods and Service Tax Appellate Authority, Delhi, the Appellate Authority has passed an appeal order reducing the said demand to Rs 194 crore," the company said.

The order was received by the company on August 21, and it is assessing the impact of the appeal order and shall take appropriate action.

SBI Life on Thursday said tax authorities have slapped a demand notice of about Rs 239.27 crore on it for short payment of Goods and Services Tax (GST) for the financial year 2019-20.

The company has received an order for interest and penalty from the Deputy Excise & Taxation Commissioner, Rohtak, Haryana, SBI Life said in a regulatory filing.

The demand notice pertains to the investment/saving portion of the premium and Input Credit availment, it added.

The authority has raised a demand for GST along with the applicable interest and penalty for FY 2019-2020, it added.